Obama Seeks to Change Crack Sentences

[Iriemon]

Black people are more prone to dog fighting than white people, maybe we should reduce the sentences for that too. Definitely make sure to reduce the prison terms for drive by shootings as well, because black people commit that crime far more than the other races.

If the blacks favored a certain type of dog and the sentence for using that type of dog was 100x greater than for dogs whites used, your analogy would be comparable.

 

[Ravi]

BlackNews.com - Obama Seeks to Change Crack Sentences

Good. I never understood why being addicted to a particular drug resulted in a stiffer penalty over addiction to a different drug.

As a matter of fact, drug addiction shouldn't be a crime AT ALL.

 

[jgbkab]

The difference is crack is way worse then cocaine, like heroin is way worse then pot.

Have any off you ever had to deal with a negro on crack?

Have you ever had to deal with a negro on crack? How about a white person or Hispanic on crack? Do they all handle crack in their system differently? Have you smoked crack and ingested cocaine to know the difference? How about pot and heroin? I will assume you won't answer these questions but give me some isolated incidents or governmental studies for answers. You hate black people because of your ignorance...we get it Tank.

 

[Barb]

The difference is crack is way worse then cocaine, like heroin is way worse then pot.

Have any off you ever had to deal with a negro on crack?

Have you? I've seen all sorts of people on crack, two had a Country and Western CD and performed at Nashville.

What an asshole.

Crack carries a higher sentence because of an economic class distinction, and since many people of color are poor, it happens to be a twofer for idiots who think those who snort or shoot are superior to those who flush their lives through a glass pipe instead.

Weed should be legal, everything else no, but everything else should carry mandatory treatment unless it is major trafficking, and every effort should be made to locate the effing banker behind the operation. Treatment is less expensive and more effective than incarceration.

 

[jgbkab]

Obama be doin' the brothas a solid!

Has it really been that long since you heard black Americans talk?

 

[KittenKoder]

The biggest reason for the difference in treatment of the crime is the availability of the drug. Crack is easier to make, the process is more well known, and has a much higher risk involved. If anything they should just raise the sentence for other drugs to match though.

 

[jgbkab]

I have seen people skeed up on powder and people high on crack. The people on coke seemed like they were invincible where as the people on crack seemed desperate. When a person is caught after committing a crime, there is not usually a drug test waiting for them after their prints are taken. So unless they confess to drug use, how would you know? And would you even trust an admission from a drug addict? If I was a crackhead and I knew that my admission to using crack while committing another crime would be a mandatory 15 years as opposed to five, why would I confess to using crack?

 

[Yurt]

BlackNews.com - Obama Seeks to Change Crack Sentences

Good. I never understood why being addicted to a particular drug resulted in a stiffer penalty over addiction to a different drug.

As a matter of fact, drug addiction shouldn't be a crime AT ALL.

why do you ignore the facts?

Drop in Homicide Rate Linked to Crack's Decline
The Justice Department report, commissioned by Attorney General Janet Reno, acknowledges that improved police work, along with longer prison sentences and improved emergency medical care, have all contributed to the lower homicide rate.

Drop in Homicide Rate Linked to Crack's Decline - The New York Times

 

[Ravi]

BlackNews.com - Obama Seeks to Change Crack Sentences

Good. I never understood why being addicted to a particular drug resulted in a stiffer penalty over addiction to a different drug.

As a matter of fact, drug addiction shouldn't be a crime AT ALL.

why do you ignore the facts?

Drop in Homicide Rate Linked to Crack's Decline
The Justice Department report, commissioned by Attorney General Janet Reno, acknowledges that improved police work, along with longer prison sentences and improved emergency medical care, have all contributed to the lower homicide rate.

Drop in Homicide Rate Linked to Crack's Decline - The New York Times

So? If we killed everyone that was addicted to drugs the crime rate might drop even further.

 

[jgbkab]

Good. I never understood why being addicted to a particular drug resulted in a stiffer penalty over addiction to a different drug.

As a matter of fact, drug addiction shouldn't be a crime AT ALL.

why do you ignore the facts?

Drop in Homicide Rate Linked to Crack's Decline
The Justice Department report, commissioned by Attorney General Janet Reno, acknowledges that improved police work, along with longer prison sentences and improved emergency medical care, have all contributed to the lower homicide rate.

Drop in Homicide Rate Linked to Crack's Decline - The New York Times

So? If we killed everyone that was addicted to drugs the crime rate might drop even further.

Whoa cowboy...don't give them any ideas.

 

[Yurt]

Good. I never understood why being addicted to a particular drug resulted in a stiffer penalty over addiction to a different drug.

As a matter of fact, drug addiction shouldn't be a crime AT ALL.

why do you ignore the facts?

Drop in Homicide Rate Linked to Crack's Decline
The Justice Department report, commissioned by Attorney General Janet Reno, acknowledges that improved police work, along with longer prison sentences and improved emergency medical care, have all contributed to the lower homicide rate.

Drop in Homicide Rate Linked to Crack's Decline - The New York Times

So? If we killed everyone that was addicted to drugs the crime rate might drop even further.

as if we are outlawing addiction and not the action. thats like saying we should NOT criminalize the addiction to rape. let's make rape legal, afterall, its not their fault their addicted to rape.

apparently you would rather have a higher homicide rate....pity

 

[Iriemon]

for anyone that wants to know the truth...

the mere fact a law has a discriminatory effect will not trigger strict scrutiny or intermediate scrutiny....the law must INTEND to discriminate

if anyone has something other than, well, see more black people are convicted of using crack simply because more black people use crack, let's talk.

if that is all you have, the law is not racist.

I did not claim the sentencing law was racist. Nor did I say that the sentencing law would have been found to violate Title VII anti discrimination laws.

I said, and numerous articles support this, that the 100 to 1 sentencing rule has a dicriminatory effect. That does not mean there was intent to discriminate or there was a racist intent. It does mean that the sentencing rules has a greater negative effect on blacks than whites because blacks are busted more with crack compared to power with whites. The results are that blacks are spending a lot more time in jail for equivalent possessions of cocaine.

 

[Iriemon]

BlackNews.com - Obama Seeks to Change Crack Sentences

Good. I never understood why being addicted to a particular drug resulted in a stiffer penalty over addiction to a different drug.

As a matter of fact, drug addiction shouldn't be a crime AT ALL.

why do you ignore the facts?

Drop in Homicide Rate Linked to Crack's Decline
The Justice Department report, commissioned by Attorney General Janet Reno, acknowledges that improved police work, along with longer prison sentences and improved emergency medical care, have all contributed to the lower homicide rate.

Drop in Homicide Rate Linked to Crack's Decline - The New York Times

Here's a link to the actual report, as opposed to the NYT article which is based apparently on preliminary information as it states that the report is "to be released next month."

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/167263.pdf

The study looked at various factors that correlated with lower homicide rates, including environmental, demographic, and situational factors.

It found a relation between homicide and employment level and poverty, social and public services including emergency medical and domestic violence services were a positive factor. Black males 18-24 where the highest percentage group likely to be murdered. Drugs (particularly crack) and guns were found to be associated with a high percentage of homicides. Homicides correlated with "clearance rates" (the percentage of cases resolved).

But as to longer sentencing, the report only said this:

Incapacitation and homicide. All cities reported changes in sentencing, probation, and parole practices during the study period. Interviews and some limited data analyses suggested support for incapacitation efforts. Additional data collection and analyses are planned.

Directions for Future Research

One goal of this project was to identify avenues for further inquiry. The findings of this research indicate that several topics warrant further exploration, including the following:

...

The connection between the incapacitation and incarceration of violence prone populations and homicide rates.

The upshot is that the report itself does not establish a link between longer sentences and decline in homicides (or crack use) nearly as strong as the blurb in the NYT article seems to suggest.

 

[Yurt]

if the law doesn't work and it does more harm than good, then it needs to be changed. a law should not be changed simply because one group violates that law more than any other group. that is judging by the color of someone's skin...